Author
Topic: JediJman's Month o' Vintage (Read 5677 times)

I'm going to stick with the little people today. Next up is Wicket W. Warrick and Chief Chirpa. I forgot how ridiculously small Wicket is...and how ridiculously long his name is for an Ewok. Pretty surprised that this guy has a last name too, let alone a middle initial. This one comes on a pretty good card with just some light shelf wear. The bubble is starting to yellow a little, but great shape outside of that with no dings or dents. His Chief is in even better shape, with a nice clean card and really clear window. Chirpa is apparently a little tired of standing after all these years, though I'm sure I could wake him back up with a little shaking. These are both punched, but that shouldn't be a surprise. Who among us wouldn't love to punch an Ewok?

More Ewoks! Today's pair is Teebo and Paploo. Aside from the yellowing bubble, carded Teebo looks like he just popped out of a fresh case of figures. Unpunched, flat card, no dings - old hoghat has never looked better. You can tell he's a premium figure because he was purchased at something called "Kay Bee Toys" for almost a buck more than his Target buddies. Teebo was my favorite of the Ewoks back in the day - he just looked a little tougher and I like the coloring. Hopefully he could throw that axe better than the modern day Tebow throws. Paploo hails from the same neighborhood, also sporting a Kay Bee price tag, but probably from a seperate purchase because the tags have a different price. This is another really nice card and the bubble is in great shape with no signs of yellowing yet. I like the Anakin Free offer too.

Thanks Jesse! The Imperial forces stopped by this morning to gently remind me that I missed an update yesterday. So, I'm going to catch up with this update showcasing four more Imps: AT-AT Driver, TIE Pilot, Stormtrooper, and Biker Scout. All four of these guys sport the old Target sticker, indicating they're all from the same battle group.

The AT-AT Driver is on a partially unpunched card, with the tab still connected at the bottom. He has a little edge wear around the card and a ding at the bottom. The bubble is starting to fade a little, but otherwise he's in great shape.

TIE Pilot is on a flat, clean, unpunched card, but the UPC has been removed from the back. I have a few figures like that. It used to bother me more, but I guess it's better than a crunched bubble or torn card. He's on a nice clear bubble with no yellowing yet - he'd be pretty mint without the POP damage.

Next is the classic Stormtrooper. Another really nice card on this one. There's a ding on the left above the bubble and an obvious vein above the peg hole. The bubble is tight, with just a little bit of yellow starting to creep in. He's also dropped his gun - not that it matters since these guys can never seem to hit their targets anyway.

Last, but not least is the Biker Scout. I loved these guys from ROTJ - probably my favorite of the OTC Troopers. This one has a really crisp, flat card with no dings in it or the bubble. Little bit of yellowing, but otherwise another really sharp addition to the army.

Time to turn the focus back to Return of the Jedi. This week's installment kicks off with Jabba's goons. Imagine how small the SW universe would be without all of the Jabba's Palace and Mos Eisley Cantina aliens. Up for your viewing pleasure is Bib Fortuna and Gamorrean Guard. Bib's shocked card expression goes well with some of the damage on this one. Shelf wear, a big crease in the upper left, and a bubble the color of Jabba's bile. It's hard to see, but the bubble is also cracked along the bottom. Guess Bib had to get that bile smell out somehow. On the bright side, the rest of the card is in pretty good shape and this is yet another "Target Club" card. Gammy is in much better shape, likely because no one wants to mess with a 400 pound erect pig sporting an axe. The card has a small bend on the bottom right and just a smidge of cardboard left over from the punch tab, but it's otherwise crisp and clean. Obviously some bubble yellowing on this guy too, but no dents, dings, or rips. His Vibro Axe is still neatly secured to the side as well.

Sticking with the theme of Jabba's goons, next up are Klaatu and the Rancor Keeper. Klaatu has on his baking gear, obviously in the process of whipping up some fresh pastries on Jabba's barge before all the commotion starts. This one is in amazing condition, with a nice flat card free of any scratches or dings. It's still unpunched and the bubble is solid...also error free outside of a little yellowing. Couldn't be happier with this guy. The Rancor Keeper is almost the exact opposite. I gave up trying to count all of bends and creases on this guy. His bubble is in nice shape, but outside of that it looks like the Rancor had his way with the card. Luckily this was the only figure I received in this kind of condition.

More Jabba's goons! This time I'm stretching out to the POTF line to bring you EV-9D9 and Barada. These are the two figures that initially led me to the stockpile of vintage that I'm showcasing. I won two early morning Ebay auctions for these two to the tune of about $200 combined ($250 including a ROTJ Emperor). I asked the seller if he had more vintage to sell and here we are fifty figures later. Two weeks later and that still doesn't sound possible. The prices on these two were more than I had initially hoped to spend, but it has more than panned out for me given the overall purchase.

I don't have a lot of POTF carded figures, but I love the figure + coin look of the packages. EV-9D9 is the figure that first caught my eye on Ebay. He's rare enough as it is, but the card and bubble on this guy are practially case fresh. No sign of yellowing and no knocks on the card outside of the price sticker and missing punch tab. Even the back is scratch/dent/crease free. Easily one of the strongest carded figures in my collection. Barada is a mixed bag of pros and cons, but I won't complain given the price. His bubble is damage free outside of some yellowing and he's unpunched, but there is an obvious tear above the peg hole. I can't comprehend how this damage happened - the tear isn't enough to hang the figure with and the tab is unscathed. Was it held a little too close to a jigsaw? Oh well, Barada's a tough dude and he can handle a little wear given the rest of the packaging. These are the only two POTF figures I acquired in this purchase - everything else is ROTJ titled.